Pierce County to Cut Jobs

Pierce County is a place that many of you may not know much about when it all comes down to it. That unassuming county, in the state of Washington, describes itself in the following terms, “It’s hard to imagine a better place to live than Pierce County. We’re surrounded by saltwater shores and towering mountain peaks.  Our county includes bustling cities with rich culture and active nightlife. And sleepy timber towns where main streets are lined with cottage industries and quaint cafes. Drive our highways or relax on our shores. You’ll see small-town farmers and big-city professionals, active retired couples and families and talented trades people. We all share a northwest pioneer spirit.”

Sadly the county is getting ready to cut back on 50 jobs between now and the end of the year in order to save its costs. The county has not, for the time being, outlined most of the details about the job cuts. The county has not said when exactly the job cuts have come or what departments are going to be let go of in order to make things right.
We do know that if all of the jobs are cut at once the rules of a mass layoff action will apply. For those of you who are not familiar with the idea of a mass layoff action here is a look at how the federal government defines the term, “The Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program collects reports on mass layoff actions that result in workers being separated from their jobs. Monthly mass layoff numbers are from establishments which have at least 50 initial claims for unemployment insurance (UI) filed against them during a 5-week period. Extended mass layoff numbers (issued quarterly) are from a subset of such establishments—where private sector nonfarm employers indicate that 50 or more workers were separated from their jobs for at least 31 days.” Under the rules of a mass layoff action the workers would have to be given several weeks of notice before they can be put out of a job.

Interestingly the county did choose to put out a recent release, but it was about their participation in the Wounded Warrior program, ” Army Soldier Jeremy Sawyer was serving his country in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated three feet from him, taking both of his legs at the knee, rupturing both ear drums and causing numerous other injuries. Since then, he has been recovering at the Center for the Intrepid at Brooks Army Medical Center in San Antonio. His wish was to be able to spend his next birthday with his two sons, who live in Spanaway, Wash.”

This is not, of course, the only county to make job cuts in order to save on cash. For those of you who missed out on Giles County here is a look at the job cuts they made in order to set its budget to right, “The county is, as many counties are in the current long-term fiscal slump, facing some issues with its budget. These issues, which are generally created by a serious decrease in tax revenue coupled with less money coming in from above. To that end the county is getting ready to cut back on jobs in order to make ends meet. In this case the issue is compounded by a $2 million error in book keeping that is setting the county back further. To that end the schools are going to bear the brunt of the hit, as they are about to lose 80 workers in order to set the budget to right.”